FOIA INFORMATION:
What is FOIA?
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) grants you the right to access many
government records.
Under FOIA, any person has a right to obtain copies of certain records possessed
by the executive office, agencies, corporations, administrations, commissions,
boards, and services. However, some records are protected from disclosure,
such as sensitive personal, commercial, and governmental information.
The requested records are released unless the record falls into one of the
nine exemptions set forth under the Act (i.e., personal privacy, confidential
business information, law enforcement documents, etc). The Office of Pipeline
Safety (OPS) makes every effort to place the most frequently requested information
here on our Web page available for download. However, IF the information
you require is not available on our Web page, or you would like the information
in a format other than the one provided here, you may request the information directly
from our office.
What is the Privacy Act?
Under the Privacy Act, if an agency files information about you by your name,
or any other means that identifies you (such as social security number), you
have certain rights:
- to see the information;
- to keep other people from seeing it; and
- to correct it if it is wrong.
FOIA Procedures:
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request must be made in writing in accordance
with Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR), Part 7. A copy of Title
49 CFR Parts 1-99 can be obtained from the Government Printing Office nearest
you, or online. Note: It helps if you can tell us in some detail what information you
are trying to obtain (i.e., title of documents, time period the information
covers). Direct all Office of Pipeline Safety FOIA requests to:
Freedom of Information Act
U.S. Department of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Office of Pipeline Safety - PHP 60
Shauna Lee Lange
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, E24-460
Washington, DC 20590
(202) 366-3731
Shaunalee.lange@dot.gov
Once
a FOIA request is received by this office, a letter acknowledging receipt will
be mailed to you. This letter will contain a FOIA case number that has been
assigned to your request. Where possible, your FOIA request will be processed by OPS within
20 business days unless the information is voluminous in size or if the information
is being obtained from regional offices and requires more time. If this occurs
you may be contacted by OPS and informed that an extension of time is needed
to fill your request.
OPS under 49 CFR Part 7 is allowed to charge fees to the requestor in order
to recover the direct costs of search, duplication, and review of requested
records. If the total cost of the requested information is less than $10,
the fees are normally waived. Within your FOIA request you must obligate that you will
pay the processing fee associated with your request. OPS charges $.10 a page
for duplication, an hourly rate for manual search time (this rate is based
on the hourly specified pay range of the employee performing the function - normally charged at $47.00 an hour),
$35.00 an hour for computer time (downloading information from databases),
$1.00 per diskette, $5.00 per video, and $4.00 to certify documents. In some
cases, fee waivers or reductions of fees are granted in the public interest,
but must be requested and justified by supporting documentation. You will be
billed when the requested records are sent to you and you have 30 days to
remit payment. If the costs exceed $250, prepayment may be required. Any documents
that are denied in whole or part will be indexed including the exemption(s)
claimed for the denial. Under FOIA, you have the right to an administrative
appeal for a denial of records and no records response from the Agency. The
appeal information will be included in your response from the Agency. Any question
concerning these procedures may be directed to the OPS Freedom of Information
Program Manager at (202) 366-3731.
A Citizen's guide to using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy
Act of 1974 to request Government records. Produced by the House Committee
on Government Operations (HR103-104), this is the government's guide to rights
under these two Acts. It provides extensive detail on both Acts, discusses
the privacy implications of government records, and provides a section explaining
which Act provides the appropriate remedy in different situations. Information
on FOIA includes the scope of the Act, exceptions to its disclosure requirements,
what can be requested, how to request a document, fees, and agency requirements.
The guide explains bases for agency denial of requests. Also included are sample
documents, and a bibliography of congressional publications on FOIA.
Downloading in Adobe Portable Document Format. Adobe provides a free PDF document reader that can be used to view or print PDF files. If you wish to save the pdf file in your hard drive, right click the link and "Save link as".
Learn more about the Adobe Reader and how to download it.
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